[Event "Sandwich \"Black-and-White\""]
[Site "St Clement's Hall"]
[Date "2024.02.20"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Harry Sharples"]
[Black "Jon Hunt"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1712"]
[BlackElo "1586"]
[EventDate "2024.02.20"]
[ECO "A56"]
[PlyCount "67"]
{Rematch (B&W Round 8). Harry and I reignite our debate in the Czech Benoni. I burn up too much time on the clock finding my way to a superior endgame and suffer a shock mate under time pressure.} 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 Be7 6.Bd3 Nbd7 7.Nge2 O-O 8.f4 $6 {Harry insists on his customary early f2-f4 break.} 8...exf4 9.Bxf4 $6 ( 9.Nxf4 Ne5 $10 ) 9...Nh5 $1 10.O-O $5 ( {The "right" line is infused with the sort of chessic psychedelia preserved for the mysterious and unknowable Benoni:} 10.g3 $1 g5 $5 11.Bd2 Ne5 12.Nc1 Ng7 $1 13.Be2 f5 $1 {Black times his first key pawn break just right.} 14.O-O Bd7 15.exf5 Nxf5 16.Ne4 b5 $1 {Black gets in the second key pawn break of the Benoni.} 17.b3 Nd4 18.Nd3 Nxe2+ 19.Qxe2 Bg4 20.Qe3 Nf3+ 21.Kg2 Nd4 22.Nxg5 Rxf1 23.Rxf1 Bxg5 24.Qxg5+ Qxg5 25.Bxg5 Be2 26.Nf2 Bxf1+ 27.Kxf1 bxc4 28.bxc4 Re8 $17 ) 10...Nxf4 11.Nxf4 Ne5 12.Be2 Bf6 13.Qc2 a6 14.b3 $6 $15 {White has drifted into a worse position, -1.0 to Black according to the engine.} 14...Rb8 15.Rad1 Qc7 ( {My other idea is a bit better:} 15...Qa5 $5 16.Nh5 Bg5 17.Nf4 b5 18.Nd3 Be3+ 19.Kh1 Bd4 20.Nxe5 Bxe5 $15 ) 16.Nd3 Nxd3 17.Rxd3 $6 b5 $2 {This is well met by the exchange sac I was nervously eyeing...} ( 17...Be5 $1 ) 18.Rg3 $2 ( {Exchange sac:} 18.Rxf6 $1 gxf6 19.Qd2 Kh8 20.Qh6 Qe7 21.Rf3 Rg8 22.Qxf6+ Qxf6 23.Rxf6 Rg6 24.Rxf7 Kg8 25.Rf4 Bd7 26.e5 dxe5 27.Re4 bxc4 28.Rxc4 $1 Rb4 29.Rxc5 Rd4 30.Kf2 Bg4 31.Bf1 $10 ) 18...Be5 19.Rgf3 Bg4 $1 20.Rd3 bxc4 $1 21.bxc4 Bxe2 22.Qxe2 Rb4 23.Rdf3 Bxc3 24.Rxc3 $15 {Black is still for choice. My scoresheet runs out - I had under 4 minutes left on the clock. The rest is from memory and was under increasing time pressure.} 24...Qe7 25.Rb3 Qe5 26.g3 Qd4+ 27.Qe3 Rxc4 $6 ( 27...Qxc4 $1 28.Rxb4 cxb4 $1 $17 ) 28.Qxd4 Rxd4 29.Re1 Re8 30.Ree3 {This move is the warning that White is already looking for the back rank mate.} 30...Rd1+ ( 30...Rdxe4 $4 31.Rxe4 Rxe4 32.Rb8+ Re8 33.Rxe8# ) 31.Kf2 Rd2+ 32.Re2 Rd4 $2 {Black misses the win.} ( {Simply} 32...Rxe2+ 33.Kxe2 Rxe4+ {and Black goes two pawns up.} ) 33.Kf3 Re5 $4 {Under two minutes on the clock, but even so this is a stinker. The back rank beckons.} 34.Rb8+ {Black resigns.} 1-0
